Astrology is a long-established method of exploring ourselves, our relationships and our place within the world. It works by taking a look at the significant environmental influences operating in a particular place at a given time - as expressed through the horoscope in the symbolic relationships of the heavenly bodies. Astrology, the science of the stars, can give us insight into all manner of situations, from the personal to the political and from the most intimate to the most mundane.
Astrology is just one of those subjects: it's easy to learn but can take a
lifetime to master. Most people are familiar with the most basic aspect of
Astrology; their Star Sign (or Sun Sign), and usually they can name at least
one common trait of their Sign. Star Signs are popularized through all the
horoscopes that appear in daily newspaper columns, magazines, and on web sites.
Unfortunately, many people think that their Star Sign is all that there is to
Astrology. While it is a good place to start, there is a lot more to Astrology
than just the Sun's position!
Astrology is not a modern invention dating back only a few years, decades or even
centuries. Astrology has been studied for millennia, and it dates back as far as
recorded history. The original Astrologers were priests and scholars, and they
were looked up to as doctors and learned men. According to modern speculation,
the Three Wise Men of Christian belief were Astrologers! At that time, Astrology
was the same science as Astronomy and Psyschology, whose modern descendants arose
from Astrology.
In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans based their system of gods on what they
believed was up in the sky. Zeus, who equates to Jupiter in Roman myth, and other
gods and goddesses were based on the Planets visible to the ancients. Astrology was
similarly popular in Babylon and Egypt, and it also rose in the Middle East, India
and China.
The simple answer is yes - and no. Astrology, like medicine, is an art based on a
science.
The nautral world is not as chaotic as it seems on the surface. Science has always
sought to discover the underlying order that governs the appearance and behaviour
of phenomena, from sub-atomic particles to the movement of galaxies. Science also
seeks an understanding of human behavior through biology, pyschology and economics,
for example. Scientists set out to find "natural laws" that govern phenomena, then
look for ways that the knowledge of these interacting laws (repeatable patterns of
phenomena) can be applied for our benefit.
The art of astrology lies at one level in the construction of accurate profiles of
personality and relationship, through the skilled interpretation of symbolic patterns,
and in mapping the general tendencies that present themselves over the course of our
lives.
Astrologers use scientific facts in the mapping of human consciousness and as keys to
the understanding of experience. This is an interpretative process, which does not
depend on accepting particular theories about how planets can affect us, or on whether
they are a sort of synchronous clock ticking along with psychological and social factors
on earth, or on some other causal process. The strength of astrology comes from the
accumulated knowledge of centuries of research and observation, developed within a
deeply intuitive understanding of the essential nature of the world, consciousness
and the environment. Combined with accurate mathematical and scientific data, today's
astrologers can use this established knowledge in the generation of valuable
psychological, economic, or predictive profiles.